Demand already high for Northampton-based Christmas tree delivery firm spreading festive cheer

Demand is already high for a Christmas tree delivery company ran by a couple from Northampton with people getting ready for the festive period earlier than usual.

The Tree Buddy spreads yuletide joy by delivering high-quality fir trees around Northamptonshire while dressed as Santa Claus' elves.

But 2020 has seen orders soar as more customers rely on deliveries during the pandemic and the lockdown has made Christmas a goal for many families to look forward to.

Co-founder Kelly Cohen said: "We usually get a few orders in early November but it's been really busy, we've had a massive influx over the last week.

"I think people are getting ready for it and people are getting excited for Christmas as when you drive around you can see more lights up.

"It's something to cling to and people want to get their Christmas tree sorted as they don't know what will be open and closed and what the rules will be then."

Kelly and her husband, Andy, set up The Tree Buddy in 2018 to solve the issues they had collecting Christmas trees every year.

The Duston couple was once stopped by police for having such a heavy load in the car and another year they spent more-than-usual on a supposedly good quality tree for it to shed its pines within a fortnight.

So they decided to not only sell the trees themselves but also take on hassles of delivery and installation, which can be difficult without a car.

Kelly said: "We also wanted to put a magic spin on it so my husband gets out the elf clothes and turns into Andy the Elf for November and December for the deliveries to spread Christmas cheer."

Coronavirus has brought some challenges for The Tree Buddy as they will not do installations if the customer is not comfortable or the home is too small and they cannot sell them in-person.

But they can get around that by getting it ready outside before handing it over in the net and customers can tell them what sort of tree they want in advance, with heights ranging from five to eight feet.

Demand is so high that Andy and Kelly are already considering getting more trees from their supplier - something that usually is not necessary until December.

"We're just trying to put a friendly face on the service as when we did our research, people had had some bad experiences with tree deliveries where they throw it into the house and go," Kelly said.

"So we want to put some TLC into it - the kids love it and we have done it for elderly people and people with disabilities.

"Nothing makes us smile more than when you hear people say they wouldn't have had a tree without us so we just love it."

For more information, visit thetreebuddy.co.uk.